What He Saw
by lilacsinthewinter
Summary: Dan Reid isn't a man of many words, but he sees everything. Prequel to events seen in The Lone Ranger.


A/N: I haven't written anything in a very long time but given my love for the John/Rebecca relationship I decided to give it a whirl. Also Ruth Wilson fans will probably get why I chose Rebecca's maiden name ;) All mistakes are my own and I do not own the characters, etc etc

Dan Reid wasn't a man of many words, but it didn't mean he didn't see anything either. He saw _everything_, and always had since he was a boy when his father would tell him he had "eyes in the back of his head" and of course a knack of getting into trouble. Back then as a boy words flowed freely as he practiced shooting at old gin bottles, or raced his pony against his friends' own; all while his kid brother Johnny followed at his heels. He saw how the younger Reid adored him even though he teased the kid as older brothers usually do, but eventually John stopped following him around, words only trickled from Dan's lips and the two fell into a distant if not competitive relationship.

Then came Rebecca.

The Morgans were aiming to get to California, but having traveled for months on end from Ohio they decided on settling in Texas instead. There was an instant spark between John and Rebecca the very moment they met; Dan saw it and could remember it clearly even as he became older. Though a good foot taller than his older brother, at 13 years old John was awfully shy and seemingly hopeless when it came to even being within ten feet of a girl. The only time he didn't make a spectacle of himself was when he met a pretty girl with auburn hair, fair skin and the bluest eyes- bluer than the sky.

"You must be one of the n-new settlers. Reid. John. I-I'm John Reid," the boy stuttered and awkwardly raised his hand. Amused, the girl looked up at him with a smirk and shook his hand firmly.

"Rebecca Morgan, pleased to meet you."

Dan watched John's grin get wider, knowing he was pleased with himself that he didn't totally screw up and Dan was actually kind of proud of the kid. Still shaking his hand, Rebecca's pale cheeks were now flushed and her amusement grew as she studied the awkward yet handsome kid. He- _John_ was blonde, had bright blue eyes and a face she could tell would be what her Momma called 'chiseled' in a couple of years.

"You can let go of her hand now, John."

"Hmm?" John smiled dreamily at his brother, then quickly down to his hand that was still shaking the girl's. "OH! Sorry!"

"It's-it's alright!"

Rebecca mirrored John and took a step back, and both stared at the wooden floor of the general store before shyly looking up at each other again. Dan cleared his throat when a silence fell and eagerly stepped forward to formally meet the girl.

"This here's my brother, Dan. Dan, Rebecca Morgan."

"How do you do?" Rebecca asked politely, though her eyes were still trained over his shoulder on the younger Reid.

What happened with that last bit always stuck with Dan, too. Dan might have been in front of her, but she only had eyes for John. He saw that then, and he continued to see that in the next few years as the pairing of his brother and Rebecca were inseparable. She tolerated Dan while she absolutely adored John. You could ask anyone in town and they knew it, even Collins an oft drunk but loyal companion to their father could see it.

Everyone but John, apparently.

Dan didn't ask John to stay, nor did he utter a single word in Rebecca's defense and instead watched -_saw_- both John and Rebecca's hearts break. After their father's death, Dan was hailed as the next captain of the Texas Rangers of Colby as he had been the only Reid brother to want to follow their father's footsteps. Instead John was going to San Francisco to study Criminal Law, and would be gone for five or six years at least. Just as he witnessed their first meeting, Dan witnessed John and Rebecca's last right before he set out west for California. It was a very intimate moment, and Dan knew he should have looked away like he usually did but this time he had to watch. John's large hand caressed Rebecca's pale cheek, now rosy under his touch and she looked up at him with hopeful but tear-filled eyes. They spoke in hushed tones some more until John kissed her cheek and turned to leave. Dan would always remember the look of pure anguish on his kid brother's face as he walked away from the girl he loved.

"We promised we'd write to each other every month," Rebecca said to Dan as she slid out from under his arm when he tried to comfort her. "You think he will? That he'll have time for me?"

Dan looked out at the figure of his brother as he rode his horse farther and farther away. He knew his brother would, without a doubt. Rebecca stopped writing the day she married Dan Reid.

It was a marriage of convenience as her parents had both just passed and a marriage would ensure she was taken care of, while as Captain of the town's Texas Rangers it was expected of Dan to be married. He made sure he was kind to her, made sure she and their baby son were provided for, but he saw the way she looked at him. Knew she still wished she'd married the other Reid, though she never would say it. He also saw as she turned into a different person; a stern woman as opposed to the mischievous girl he knew who always had a tall lanky blonde boy wrapped around her finger. He wished he could make her happy, but after eight years saw he couldn't.

John came back and Dan saw it, the same spark between his brother and Rebecca he'd seen years before, and this time he had to look away.

Beside him, Collins chuckled.

"Some things never change."

Dan nodded, watching as John and Rebecca both flushed when their hands met when he handed back her scarf.

Sometimes, he wish he didn't see everything.


End file.
